Albirex Niigata vs Montedio Yamagata

Montedio struck early. Tsubasa Terayama opened the scoring in the 4th minute, and Disaro灿Silvano doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time (45+2') to send the visitors into the interval 2–0 up.

The pattern worsened for Niigata four minutes after the restart. Riku Morioka headed home from a set piece (49') — a recurring weakness for the hosts from last season, according to manager Yuzo Funakoshi — and a 3–0 deficit looked insurmountable.

But Niigata found a lifeline. Kanji Kuwayama, a new signing, pulled one back in the 65th minute, finishing from close range. The momentum shifted decisively when an own goal in the 88th minute cut the gap to 3–2, and substitute Eiji Shirai levelled the scores in the 90th minute with a composed finish.

Just when a dramatic draw seemed certain, Yokoyama struck in the 90+4th minute, restoring Montedio's lead for good.

Niigata's substitutions after the hour mark transformed the game. Wakatsuki, Arai, Sato, Ishiyama and Shirai all entered the fray between the 57th and 84th minutes, injecting energy and width. The introduction of Shirai proved decisive — he scored the equaliser — but it was ultimately not enough to salvage a point, as Yokoyama's late intervention came immediately after a scramble from a set piece. Funakoshi had made five changes to the starting XI from their previous friendly, handing debuts to new signings Maeda and Kuwayama.

Rui Yokoyama (Montedio Yamagata) — Introduced in the 63rd minute, the midfielder scored the 90+4th-minute winner and was the difference between a draw and a win.

Kanji Kuwayama (Albirex Niigata) — The new signing scored his first goal for the club in the 65th minute, sparking the comeback. "The attacking shape and the way we break through is coming together more and more," he said after the match.

Tsubasa Terayama (Montedio Yamagata) — Opened the scoring inside four minutes and caused problems on the left flank before being substituted in the 75th minute.

Eiji Shirai (Albirex Niigata) — Came off the bench in the 84th minute and scored six minutes later to complete the comeback, only for it to be undone.

The official stats show Niigata registered 11 shots (2 in the first half, 9 in the second) against Montedio's 12 (5 in the first half, 7 in the second). The disparity in the first half — 2 shots to 5 — tells the story of Niigata's slow start, which Funakoshi described as "childish." Both teams had similar corner counts (8 for Niigata, 7 for Yamagata), but the visitors made their set-piece count through Morioka's goal. Yamagata goalkeeper Sato R. made 11 saves to Niigata's Baumann's 6, reflecting the heavier pressure Niigata applied in the second half.

This was a pre-season friendly, so the result carries no league points. But for a Niigata side preparing for the J2 season, the manner of defeat — conceding early and late, and from a set piece — exposed recurring issues. Montedio Yamagata, meanwhile, continued a strong pre-season run, reportedly winning all four of their preparatory matches against opponents from different divisions.

Niigata open their J2 campaign away at Omiya on 8 August. Montedio also face their own league opener in the coming weeks.

A chaotic pre-season friendly that told both managers plenty. Niigata will be encouraged by their second-half fightback but alarmed by the softness of the goals conceded — particularly the early and late lapses and the set-piece vulnerability. Montedio's resilience and ruthlessness on the counter bodes well, even if the pre-season sample is small.